Bargain Babe’s cheap guide to Santa Barbara

I spent Monday in Santa Barbara poking my head into shops, restaurants and bars. It is a schmancy town, but there are plenty of ways to visit and not part with too much cash.

Below I share ideas for free and low-cost activities in Santa Barbara, and where to eat on a dime. Tomorrow look for posts about nightlife bargains and shopping deals.

I hope you can use my tips the next time you visit Santa Barbara. The trip was so successful I may be going to San Diego as well!

Your bargain babe,

Julia

UPDATE APRIL 2014:

I haven’t been back to Santa Barbara since this trip and I’m not sure where my advice about free and low-cost activities went. Doh! But I do know a lot about traveling on the cheap from traveled so much and always being aware of the price tag. So here’s my best advice for visiting a new place on a dime.

Download the Yelp app and use it for recommendations on where to eat. Yelpers love love love mom-and-pop hole in the walls, which are often the cheapest places to get a bite. They spurn fast food and chains and favor independent one of a kind eateries and restaurants. Look for specific advice on what to order, when to go, and prices.

Pick up free weekly papers at local grocery stores, coffee shops, and other businesses. I love free weeklies! They almost always have a calendar or some kind of guide to what’s happening in town day by day. A lot of the listed events will be free or low cost.

Book an apartment through one of the following: Homeaway.com, Airbnb.com, Vrbo.com. You’ll save money by using the home’s kitchen to eat in, and may have access to a free bicycle, guidebooks, and other perks of staying with a local. I like staying in a unique place, as opposed to a hotel room that is the same in any city.

Use public transportation if you can avoid renting a car. You’ll save money with a pass or per ride ticket, and avoid traffic and parking fees. Plus, there’s no chance you’ll get a parking ticket! And you’ll get the flavor for the city by people watching.